Through collaboration to global presence

When one of Hansaprint's major electronics customers built a new assembly factory in Hungary, Hansaprint decided to go along, too. The customer wanted the printing done on the spot. The venture placed enormous demands on Hansaprint's expertise and logistics, as the customer needed round-the-clock deliveries.
Elanders already had a presence in Hungary and had begun printing user-manuals there a couple of years earlier. They thus already had important skills and expertise. The two companies decided to work together, and to joint-own the new plant. And although Elanders President and CEO Patrick Holm does not talk about joint ownership as an obvious choice, he certainly sees it as a clear option.
"Joint ownership gives us a chance to exchange expertise, and we can also share risks, opportunities and investments. As Elanders and Hansaprint have grown, the world around them has grown, too. The companies have internationalised. The major multinationals are now choosing fewer and bigger subcontractors. As a consequence we have to grow, too. Sometimes, you have to collaborate to achieve a global presence," he says.
Holm describes the growth in Eastern Europe, citing the way low-cost countries such as Hungary have opened their borders to lots of new companies. OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturers - i.e. the companies that manufacture the final product for sale on the open market, are building megafactories. Consumer electronics companies, in particular, have moved their assembly plants to Eastern Europe, and are now placing new demands on suppliers.
"These companies with their megafactories are attracting around them clusters of companies who make all the peripheral components and products they need. They want everyone from printed- circuit manufacturers to user-manual printers to be on the spot."

Even if the Hungary co-ownership is the first of its kind, Elanders and Hansaprint have in fact worked together before.
"We both have a history of printing our national phone books, and we have acted as each other's back-up printers. This is an important function that allows us to deal with time pressures and large print volumes," Holm explains, adding that, even if both companies market themselves as leading Scandinavian printers, they are not in competition.
"No, we aren't competitors, more like colleagues. We have at least ten years of good cooperation behind us prior to Hungary," he says with satisfaction.
The next step is a similar collaboration between the companies in Romania.
"We are building a joint production facility that will be up and running by mid-2008. I'm glad about this. It is a step in the right direction," Holm concludes.

Elanders Infomedia Group provides publication solutions for all types of information. With its comprehensive Master Vendor concept, Elanders offers individual solutions for the entire value chain in the publishing process. Turnover in 2006 was SEK 1988 million, and with its subsidiaries in eight countries staff number c. 1500. The company is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange Mid Cap list.(source: www.elanders.com)